Sound-box for talking-machines.



SOUND BOX FOH TA WE MACWNES.

APPLICATiON EILLB SH-Z5 3M4.

INVEMTOR WITNESES EHQRNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVA D. JONES, OF P H IIiADELPHIA, IPENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN" S. LATTA, OF-PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

3 Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Sound-Box for T alk-ing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an attachment for the sound-box in a talking machine by which such bo'x constructed to be used with a record having its sound-groove latgrallcy waved, such as a Victor or Columbia recor can be adapted to be employed with a record of the hill and-valley type, such asemployed in the ,lldison machine,

It further consists of means for supporting such sound-box in a horizontal plane instead of in a vertical plane from the tonearm.

It further consists of means for attach ing a tubeextension between the sound-box and the tone arm to present the former in the proper position to the record.

It further consistsof means for preventing relative rotation of the box upon its support and the dislocation of the stylus.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail one mechanical form embodying the invention, such detail construction being but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings-Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the end of'the tone-arm, of a gooscneck and sound-box of a talking machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan view of a talk ing machine having my invention applied to it. Fig. 3 represents a section on the line :r-m in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the sound-boxand stylus mech anism. Fig. 5 re resents a detail view of "the tone-intensifying elements. Fig. 6 rep resents a detail view of a detachable form of such elements. Fig. 7 represents a perspective detail view of the end of the gooseneck and of the s0und-box tube, detached from each other. Fig. 8 represents an axial section of such parts when joined.

Similar numerals of reference lndieate corresponding partsin the figures.

Referring to the drawings, the reference Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 20, 1916.

Application filed September 25, 1914. Serial No. 863,434.

numeral 1 indicates the frame of a talking machine of the Victor type, having a movable tone-arm, '2, and amplifying horn, 3, of such type of machine. A gooseneck, i, is supported upon the end of the tone-arm, and the outer end of said gooseneck has the usual L-formed slot, 5, forming the usual bayonet joint. A sound-box, 6, has a neck, 7, fitting in one end of an angular tube, 8, the horizontal arm of'wvhich has a diametric bar, 9, which enters the ion itudinal portion of the L-slot when the enc of said tube is titted upon the end of the gooseneck. The end of the vertical arm of the sound-box tube has a tapering outward crease or bulge, 1

screw, 17, when the box is employed with i 11 Victor or Columbia style record. A head,

18, has a pin, 19, which is inserted in the stylussoeket and clamped by the screw. A socket, 20, has its upper end connected to said head by a spring, 21, and the styluspoint, 22, for engaging the soundagroove in the record, 23, upon the turntable, is secured in the lower end of saidsocket. A. stud, is secured to the center of the diaphragm, usually by the rivet or screw, 26, securing the arm of the stylus-bar to said diaphragm, and a flexible and inelastic cord, 27, or similar connection is removably attached to said stud and to the stylus socket. Instead of being secured to the diaphragm by the rivet or screw, the stud can. be formed with a spring-clamp, 28, at its upper end, which clamps the bent inner end of the styius-har and detaehably secures such stud.

When a record ofthe Edison or bill. and valley type is to be played in the machine, the sound-box is removed from the end of the. gooseneck and the angular soundbox tube fitted upon the end of the goose neck with the sound box neck in the down ward arm of the tube and the diaphragm facing downward toward the record. The rib on the neck and the crease in the tube secure the sound-box in its proper position in relation to the record and tone-arm. The

stylus-needle employed for the laterally said stud are connected by the flexible cord.

The stylus-point engages the sound-groove in the record upon the turn-table and is vibrated as the latter is rotated, following rises and falls of the bottom groove and thus vibrating the diaphragm through the rocking stylus-bar. As the stylus-point is tilted by the Waving depths of the soundgroove in the record, the stylussocket is tilted forward, as indicated on an exaggerated scale in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, and simultaneously imparts a slight vibratory movement to the stud upon the diaphragm through the flexible cord, whereby the vibrations of the diaphragm are augmented and the sounds of the same increased in volume.

The sound-box which is made in one piece of resilient material, such as rubber,has its rear wall, 28, of considerablethickness' and such wall is composed of a comparatively hard body of rubber. The outer portion of the sound-box body is formed with a peripheral head, 29, and an annular head, 30, is formed on the face of the box and has an annular seat, 31, V-shaped in cross-section, formed in its inner side, in which seat the periphery, 32, of the diaphragm 15' is fitted. The rear wall or body of the box is formed fromrubber vulcanized or similarly cured to considerable hardness, while the head 30 and annular diaphragm seat are formed from considerably softer or semicured rubber, so that a resilient, annular and integral hinge, 33, is formed between the body and the annular head 30. By this construction all scratchy, harsh or metallic sounds are absorbed in the body-portion which is preferably made of considerable thickness, and the soft annular diaphragm seat in the soft bead provides the requisite resiliency for the diaphragm so that the lattcr can vibrate to the requisite extent at its wriphery as well as at its center.

The sound-box is so secured in the downwardly extending branch of the bent tube upon the goose-neck that the stylusarm extends at an acute angle to a radius of the record passing through the center of the sound-box. which position will have a tendenvy to exert a slight inward pull upon the stylus and box and insure the inward move- .inrut of the stylusand sound-box caused by the snlzlHlQl'UO v in ,iurec rd engaging the for-moi.

B providing the bent tube secured upon :hr iuisene-ch and having: the souhddmx so the downwardly extending t such tube, the sound-box em though their of the spiral.

ployed with the zigzag grooved records and arranged vertically can be supported horizontally to operate with a record having a hill-and-valley groove, without change in the box or stylus arm, the only change necessary being the addition of the bent tube and the substitution of the stylus sup ort for the ordinary pin-shaped stylus. he cord and stud may or may not be emplo ed, al-

employment is prefera 1e owing to their increasing the strength of sound.

The transverse bar 9 in the joint of the sound-box tube and the gooseneck will prevent rotary motion in such joint, will brace thetubes at the slot, and the slight split or deviation caused in the tone-waves, passin through the tubes on both sides of the bar has}; mellowing effect on the tones.

So far as I am. aware, I am the first in the art to employ a sound box of the character described, composed of rubber or similar material, having portions thereof of varyin degrees of hardness, for the purpose state in conjunction with an appliance for playing a hill-and-valley record, wherein means are provided for a general improvement of the tones,; amelioration of the scratchy, metallic or gtinding sounds common in instruments of this class, and provision made for a faithful development and reproduction of the delicate sounds ordinarily difiicult to "reproduce, which are reproduced by my novel device with a maximum degree of fidelity and faithfulness to the original, and my claims to my novel sound box and itsadjuncts are to be construed with the corresponding scope accorded to a pioneer invention.

It will be understood that any suitable 10a mounting for the stylus bar 12 may be employed other than that shown in Fig. 4, for the purpose of permitting the necessary motion to be imparted to said stylus bar, without departing from the spirit of my invcntion.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction of a sound box for talking machines which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof which will he found in practice to give satis- 12 3 factory and reliable results, it is to be undcrstood that the same is susceptible of modification in various particulars Without departing from the Spirit or scope Of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantagos.

lla iu; thus described my invention. what l claim as new and desire to secure by l mrttors latcnt, is:

l. in u deriviof the rharm-ter stated, a

sound-box, a diaphragm therein, a stylusbar fulcrumed upon said sound no; and having its inner armconnected to said diaphragm and a socket in its outer arm, a stylus socket yieldingly supported upon said socket and havingfa stylus "at is free end, a stud secured to said diaphragm, and a flexible and inelastic connection between said stud and stylus socket.

In a device of the character stated, a sound-box, diaphragm therein, stylusbar fulcrumed upon said box and having its inner arm connected tothe center of. .tl 1e diaphragm and a socket in its outer arm, a stylus socket yi'eldingly supported upon said socket and having stylus at its *free end,'- a stud secured at the'center of the diaphragm, and a flexible and. inelastic connection so.- cured to said stud and to the stylus-socket near the free end of the same.

x, In a. deviceuof the'character stated, a

,oundhox, a diaphragm therein, a stylusbar fulcrumed' upon the periphery of said sound box and haying a socket in its outer end and its. inner armsecured to the dim phragm, a stylus-socket having a stylus in its end, aspring connecting said socket tothe-outer end ofthe stylus-bar, a stud. supported on thediaphrag im'and a flexible and inelastic cord connection between said stud and. the. stylus socltetl I 4;, In a deviceof the character stated, a 'soundbox, a diaphragm therefor, a stylusbar fulcruinedupon the-periphery of said box and having-a socket in its-outer arm and the end of its inner arm secured to the cen-s ter ofthediaphragm, a stud securedat said center, a headsecured withiapin in the socket of the stylns-baiai-a stylus socket having a stylus at its lower end, a spring secured to the upper; end'bfi said socket and to K said head,-and adlex'ih'le and inelastic cord connected tothe staid upon the diaphragm and to near theiree end of the stylus socket. i

5. In a device'o fjthe character stated, a sound tube-formed with'a longitudinal slot at the end thereofla sonn'd box, a diaphragnn therein extending in a )lane parallel to the record; nn.'-angfular true Secured to'said, sound hoxvandifitted oxrtlie'slotted tube, and a. flat diametrically disposed bar secured-in an. arm of" said angnlar tnbe'and engaging elongated bearing isprovided at slot in bar having its inner end secured to the diaphr'agm, a s 1.!

upon the ovter'arm of said bar, a stud reinc ably of the d stud secured to the innerend stated,

'gnlar tube :for the exit iofft of said tube engaging:

a sound tnbe having a slotthereim antif angu lar tube having its horizontal member provid'ed with a. flat transterse bar therein engaging said slot, whereby an elongated heatin is p fi abse d s omnd ts ret-ti a ern mefnlier flaring dowmy'ardly, a sound fbo'x having a neck on itsviiear wall projectingupwardly into engageinent vithisaid".vq rtical member, and a diaphragm ,inisaidsonndgb n ng .in a horizontalpl n l" parallel to the r ecord t be flayed,

SfIn a device of. hecharnoterstated,apnemat'erial haying an annular fil lee i p litl qn adapted to surrdund the periphery .Qf l aphra-gfnia'nd' soften 'an the t er".

hragin seated in si-u tel , e n m fl v; s n ing 41 nion, and:

piece son' idljox body',col nposed, of fresilient astyluS-bar fulcruinalsa d sound box and having Oilfijtlilii connected to j-tllc diaph'i'agm and prov at itsgother arm wit 'fa stylussocliet cl ryingia ,yei tically disiosedlpoint, in combination. withiian anfrom so nid'boxythfe czill niember. sound box and the horizontal her :th ting with atoneam 9; (l evicedofthe; one-piece soundrliox-ho phragm a h h 7, bar f'nlcr inied' dso n -boX- and-having the end oii econnected to the diaphragm, anda vertically disposed stylussocket sccuifedf at one end to th oliteiarm of saidstylus-bar and having a point at. its otherend' 10. In a device of thecharater stated, a sound-box body having a. thie'"'enedi rear wall 'andfan annular peripheral head "it its face secured to saidiwallf; by: and; annular and" I resilient;- hinge and for 'ned with, an annular diaplir: iiiseat, diaphragm I said seat, 3' st iis-ba r-fi l1) sonnd box and-hayingthe on if itsiiinnor arm connected tothe-(liapli 'ag n, a icl a stylus-socket flexibly SecnredatQHQ- l-to the outer annof 'sav-id styllfls baifl and .l ia ing. a point at its other'endl. i v

1]. In a device of the. character stated, a sonnd-bon body ha vingathickened rea i 'all waves and an annular peri pheralibead g at its face ,ef

softer material than =said' body and formed with an annular internaldiaphra'gni ,Seat,

said head and its seat-being integral :with

said body and being capable of i'ibrating independently of the same, a diaphragm having its periphery supported in said seat,

means for supporting said body and diaphragm in a horizontal plane and arallel tothe record to be played, a stylus ar fulcrumed upon said body and having the end of its inner arm secured to said diaphragm, and astylus-socket secured at one end'to the end of the outer'end of said stylus bar at a'right angle to the same and having a stylus point at its other end.-

12. In a device of the character stated, a sound-box, a diaphragm in such box, a stylus-bar fulcrumed upon said box and having its inner end securedto the diaphragm,

and a stylus-socket secured'at a right angle 'to the-0uter arm of said stylus-bar and havihra m in a horizontal )lane.

13. In a device" of the character stated, sound-conveying tube supported to swing in a horizontal plane above the rotating record. an angular tube adapted to be. fitted upon said tube and having a downwardly bent branch; :1 sound-box having a neck on its back titted to said bent branch, said box baring a hard body-portion and an outer integral softer portion forming ardiaphragm seat. a diaphragm in said seat,'said box and diaphragm being supported in a horizontal p|aue,,and a stylus'bar pivoted on said box and having one arm connected tothe diaphragm of said sound-box and a stylussocket on the other arm carrying a stylus and projecting to engage the record, at substantially a right angle to the latter.

14. In a device of the'character stated, an angular tube having one member extending laterallyffand adapted to engage a portion of a tone arm, the other member of said tube depending vertically therefrom, a sound box supported from said depending member and having a horizontally extending body-portion made. ofshardened rubber and an outer diaphragm inclosing portion of softer material secured to saidbody by an annular, integral, resilicnt hinge, a horizontally extending diaphragm carried by said body, a stylus bar supported on said body, a stylus socket depending from said 7 bar at an angle thereto, and a stylus point in said socket.

15.. In a device of the character stated, a tone arm adapted to swing in a horizontal plane above the rotatable record, a goose neck attached to said tone arm, an angular tube having one member secured to said goose neck and the other member depending therefrom, a sound bqx secured to said de pending member and provided with a body portion of hard, resiiient material and an outer diaphragm inclosing portion of softer material secured to said body portion by an annular, integral, resilient hinge, a diaphragm carried by said body, the latter and said diaphragm being supported in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to said record, a stylus bar fulcrumed on said body, a stylus socket on said bar extending at substantially a right angle to said diaphragmand said record, and a stylus point in said;

socket. a

16. In a device of the character stated, a sound box made in one piece, and having a thickened, hardened, resilient body portion, and an outer diaphragm seat of softer material secured to said body portion by an annular, integral, resilient hinge, a diaphragm in said seat,- a stylus point supported from said body, at substantially a right angle to said diaphragm and .pivotally mounted, means forsupporting said box and diaphragm in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the record to be played. v 17.: In a device of the characten stated, a sound box made in one piece and having a hardened resilient body portion and an outer:

diaphragm seat of softer material secured to said body portion by an annular, integral, resilient hinge, a diaphragm mounted in said seat, and pivotally mounted means for supporting said box and diaphragm in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the record to be played, in combination with a stylus bar fulcrumed on said body and a stylus socket depending from said bar at substantially a right angle to said diaphragm and record.

18. In a device of the character stated, a sound box made in one piece and having a hardened resilient body portion and an outer "diaphragm seat of softer material secured to said body portion by an annular, integral, resilient hinge, a diaphragm mounted in said seat, and means for supporting said box and diaphragm in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the record to be played, in combination with a stylus bar fulcrumed on said body, a stylus socket depending from said bar at substan tially a right angle to said vdiaphragm and record and a stylus point in the end of said socket.

19. In a device of the character stated, a sound box made in one piece and having a hardened, resilient body portion and an outer diaphra seat of softer material secured to said )ody portion by an annular, integral, re'silienthinge, a diaphragm mounted in said seat, and means for supporting said box and diaphragm in a horizontal )lane substantially parallel to the plane oi rotation of the record to be played. in combination with a stylus bar fulcrumcd on said body, .a stylus socket flexibly su ported from said bar at substantially a rig t angle to said diaphragm and record, and a stylus point in the end of said socket.

20. In a device of the character stated, a tone arm, 'a sound box, a diaphragm in said sound box, means common to said tone arm and sound box for supporting said diaphragm in a horizontal plane, substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of the record to be played, a-stylus bar fulcrumed on said sound box, a st lus socket, a stylus point therein, and -a exible connection intermediate said stylus socket and stylus bar.

21. In a device of the character stated, a tone arm, a one piece sound box, having a hardened resilient body portion, and an outer diaphragm seat encircling ortion of softer material secured to said body portion by an annular, integral, resilient hinge, a diaphragm within said seat portion, means common to said tone arm and sound box for ,supporting said box and diaphragm in a horizontal plane, a stylus bar fulcrumed to said body portion, a stylus socket and a flexible connection intermediate said stylus socket and stylus bar.

ALVA D. JONES. Witnesses:

C. D. MCVAY, H. M. LAFFERTY. 

